Stages of the Life Hereafter, the Path to Eternity

11. Stage Eleven of the Life Hereafter ======================================

Tasleem Safeet al-A`mal: Delivering the Book of Deeds

It is another terrifying stage of the Judgment Day when the list of deeds is delivered to the one it belongs to. The Almighty has made a number of references to this book of deeds; here are some of them: When the scrolls are laid open" (Qur'an, 81:10); and also these verses:

"He who is given his book in his right hand, soon his account will be taken by an easy reckoning, and he will turn to his people, rejoicing! But whoever is given His record behind his back, He will soon cry for perdition, and he will enter a blazing Fire" (Qur'an, 84:7-12).

On p. 314, Vol. 7 of Bihar al-Anwar, al-Ayyashi quotes Imam‎ as-Sadiq (as) saying:

When it is Judgment Day, everyone will be handed over his list of deeds, and it will be said to him, 'Read!' Allah‎ will remind him of all his deeds through looking at this tablet, and the same applies to his statements, steps and everything else, as if he said, did or treaded them instantly. People will say, 'Woe unto us! Why does this book not leave out the recording of anything, be it small or big?!'" (Qur'an, 18:49).

Ibn Qawlawayh has quoted Imam‎ as-Sadiq (as)as saying:

"If one visits the gravesite of Imam‎ al-Hussain (as)during the month of Ramadan and dies during his trip to visit al-Hussain (as), he will not be exposed to anything, nor will he be held to account, and it will be said to him, "Enter Paradise, you shall not fear." `Allama al-Majlisi, may Allah‎ have mercy on him, has quoted Imam‎ ar-Ridha (as) through two reliable isnads as saying:

"If one comes from a distance to visit my gravesite, I shall go to him on three occasions: on the Judgment Day to save him from its woes, when the books of the doers of good are flown to their right hands, when the tablets of the criminals are flown to their left, on the Sirat [path between Paradise and Hell] and at the Mizan (scales of deeds)." In the book titled Al-Haqq al-Yaqeen, it is indicated that al-Hussain ibn Sa'eed has quoted Imam‎ as-Sadiq (as)as having said:

إذا أراد الله أن يحاسب مؤمنا، أعطاه كتابه بيمينه، و يحاسبه فيما بينه و بينه دون أن يطلع على حسابه أحد، و يقول له: عبدي، لقد فعلت كذا و كذا، فيجيب العبد: إلهي، لقد فعلته. و يقول الله تعالى: غفرت لك و بدلته إلى حسنات. فيقول الناس: سبحان الله! إن هذا العبد لم يقترف ذنبا، و لم يرتكب قبيحا، و هذا معنى قوله تعالى: " فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا" (الإنشقاق، 7-9) .

"If Allah‎ wants to hold a believer to account, he gives him his book [of deeds] in his right hand and judges him between Himself and the believer without anyone seeing it. He will then say to him, 'My servant! You have done this and that.' The servant will say, 'Lord, I have done it.' Allah‎ Almighty will say, 'I have forgiven you and change it into good deeds.' People will say, 'Blessed be Allah‎! This servant of Allah‎ did not commit a sin, nor did he do anything contemptible!' This is the meaning of the verse of the Almighty: Then whoever is given his record in his right hand, soon his account will be taken by an easy reckoning, and he will turn to his people, rejoicing!' (Qur'an, 84:7-9).

The narrator asked, 'What is meant by his people (his family)? Does the believer accompany his folks who used to be with him in this life?' Imam‎ as-Sadiq (as)said, 'If Allah‎ wants something bad to afflict His servant [on account of the latter's deeds], He will try him before all creations, complete His argument against him then gives him his book in his left hand as Allah‎ Almighty has said:

Truly he thought that he would not have to return (to Us)!' (Qur'an, 84:14).

This points towards the hands of the unbelievers and hypocrites being tied and chained and their tablets delivered on their left side. It is to both these conditions that the supplications related to ablution refer: 'Lord! Give me my book in my right hand and my eternity in Paradise on my left; do judge me easily and do not give me my book on my left or behind my back, and do not tie my hands to my neck."